Nicole Gregory: Aug. 24, 1997 to Jan. 16, 1998

Obituary:

With great sorrow I announce the death of a very special little girl, Nicole L. Gregory. Nicole was the
light and life of her family. She fought long and hard to maintain her place with them here on Earth.
Unfortunatly, she succuumed to respitory failure due to complications from her premature birth at
approximatly 4:10 PM PST.

She was just one tiny baby who, against all odds, managed to impact so very many people in her short
life. She has taken her final steps home to live in a majestic heaven with Our Lord and Saviour.
England had it's rose ....... but we had Nikki, one very bright star in a universe often dimly lit. May
her memory live on in our hearts along with the inspiration she has given so many of us.

The family has requested that no flowers be sent. Anyone wishing to send gifts or memorials may
contact Nicole's grandmother, Joan Worley for information on what would be helpful.

Nicole, you will be so sadly missed by so very many people.

Even Though I never met Nicole, and might not have ever met her, she was still special in my life.
I prayed for her, worried over her, thought about her, and told my friends about her. It's amazing how
for her, just living and breathing was a miracle that touched many people. No matter where I go or what I do in life, I
shall never forget her or her family.

Here is a story that was sent to me by Jackie, Nicole's mom. I loved it, and I think anybody who is or has known
a parent/family of a preemie will find it touching. (It's rather long, you might want to print it.)

Angelic Forum

By Linda M. Wolford

"Hey, where is everyone going?" asks one tiny angel to another, who scurries
toward a low mumble of voices. "Didn't you hear? This is the hour that God
planned for the forum," answers the angel, as he continues to stride purposefully toward the others.
"Forum? What's a Forum?" asks the tiny angel, as he hurries to keep
pace. "Beats me" the other angel answers, "but God wants all us new, tiny
angelsto come. Maybe we get our wings today!" "Yeah maybe!" the tiny angel
exclaimed as they skip onto the giant brightly-lit cloud, packed full
of excited tiny angels---all without wings. When God arrives at the cloud, a strong powerful feeling of peace fills
the air. Each tiny angel sits with his legs folded on his own little piece
of cloud and with his tiny voice hushed as God takes His place at the
front. "Peace to all My tiny angels," God says lovingly. "And peace to you,
God," the tiny immtature angels sing out enthusiastically, their voices
high-pitched. God sits down, smiling to Himself, proud of each innocent
face looking to Him for direction. "I have called this Angelic Forum today
so that I can meet with each one of you to...." "To give us our wings?" pipes a tiny voice from the back of the crowded
cloud. "No," chuckles God, "not to give you your wings, but to tell you how
you can earn your wings." "Oh boy, here comes the bad news", whispers one angel to another.
"Yeah," the other replies as he squirms on his tiny cloud. "Settle down, My loved ones," God says in a low, gentle voice. "Each of
you has been assigned an earthly mission that will fill you with overwhelming
love, no matter how long or how difficult your mission is." When God pauses briefly, the same tiny voice quickly asks, "But when do
we get our wings?" "When your mission on earth is finished, you will be called to be with
Me in heaven forever. Then we'll have a celebration and you can have your
wings," answers the Lord with divine patience, despite the tiny one's
persistentquestions. The shining face of each angel glows twice as bright at the
mention of their wings. God slowly rises from His crouched position and wanders around the
cloud, weaving in and out among the tiny angels as each one squirms to watch
Him. Then the excited smiles fade into attentive expressions of wonder as
God begins to discuss the details of their "earthly missions".
"Each one of you will become a very important part of an earthly
family. You will be born to a beautiful woman---a woman called Mom. Many of you
will also get to know and love an incredibly powerful and gentle man---a man
called Dad. These people---Mom and Dad---will love you very much, even
before they have a mere hour with you." "That sounds like fun," pipes a tiny voice from the crowd. God turns
around, slowly walks over, and picks the tiny angel up. Then God sits down on
the cloud and holds the tiny angel affectionately on His knee as the others
gather closely around Him. "Yes," God replies, "but this mission is very, very important. The time
you spend with your family will be very special for them. They will love
you so completely and so powerfully that when you have finished your mission
on earth and are preparing to come to see me again, your family will
suffer great sorrow. These feelings may also be felt by anyone who has known
you---whether they be your brother, your sister, your grandparents,
your doctors, nurses, or your family's friends".
"What exactly is our mission, God?" asks one very attentive angel who
scurries on little knees, anxious for God to continue. "Each one of you will have a different kind of mission, but all of you
will have the same goal: As innocent babies, you will give love and teach
your parents to give and accept love," God replies.
God pauses briefly to look around the tiny faces, each filled with
uncertainty and confusion. "My tiny little angels," God begins again, "I can see you are all
confused and do not know what it is I ask of you, so let's begin slowly." The
angels all nudge closer to God. God looks tenderly at the tiny angel sitting
quietly on His knee. "My precious angel, your earthly mom and dad know of your coming in
four more months. Your parents are excited and joyful, already feeling love
for you, and are impatient to meet you. You, My little one, you will fill
their lives with surprise because you will be born to early. Your body will
be frail and weak; your eyes not yet opened; your lungs not mature enough
to work like theirs. You will meet doctors and nurses who will use many of
the medical technologies that I have taught them. They will work long and
hard to keep you alive. Your parents will be afraid of these technologies
and even afraid of you at first---afraid of your tiny body, and yes, even
afraid to love you. "My parents? Afraid to love me? How can that be?" asks the tiny angel.
"You must understand," God continues, "they are afraid to love you in
case you do not live. Then they will be attached to you and your death will
be painful for them---painful because they love you so very much."
"But, isn't there anything we can do to help them understand?" asks the
tiny angel. "Yes, God answers. "We allow them time to get to know you, time to
touch and hold you, time to help with your care, time to be less afraid of you,
and time even to love you. The nurses and doctors will encourage them to
bond with you, to feel a part of you. Your parents will be angry and
confused, sometimes laughing and sometimes crying, but always loving and being
loved by you. Most importantly, they will grow in a special way as a result
of your being born." "Do those nurses and doctors already know that this is our mission,"
asks the tiny angel. "Not really," God sighs. "they hurt and feel the same
way as your parents do. Maybe not as intensely, but they too, they must allow
themselves to love and grow, to be confused and hurt, and to share
their feelings with others. They are strong for the parents, and they love
each one of you angels as I do. "But what happens to mom and dad?" asks one angel with incredible
concern for one so tiny. "Well," God continues, "your parents love you unconditionally and they
become concerned with you and your comfort. They wonder if the medical
technologies are keeping you alive, and if maybe you are in pain. They
discuss the future painfully and they pray that "My will be done."
"But you said that they don't want me to die, they will do everything
to keep me alive. Because they know me, my death will be painful to them.
Something so painful that it is beyond imagining, unless you have
experienced it," replies the astute little angel. "Very good, my innocent angel." God praises as He shifts the tiny angel
to His other knee. "But once your parents have begun to love you
unselfishly enough to be concerned about your pain, your welfare, and your future,
they pray that 'My will be done.' This is when they love completely. They
have grown, and now they will be able to accept your death as part of their life."
"So do they still get angry and hurt when I leave them to be with you?"
the angel asks, snuggling into the soft curves of God's gentle body.
"Yes", God answers with a smile, pleased at the angel's understanding,
"your death isn't any easier for them just because they have accepted My
will, but now they are more open to accept the love of those around them. They
will still cry and hurt, but they have grown emotionally and spiritually and
they will never forget you. They will love you forever, and then your
mission is completed on earth."
"Yeah", every angel sings out. Then a hush fell over the brightly-lit
cloud as each tiny angel looks around, wondering how his mission would be different from the others.
"Then we get our wings, right?" exclaims one tiny angel shattering the
silence. "That's right," God chuckles, "then you get your wings. But along with
your wings comes the responsibility of being your family's Guardian Angel.
You look after your family and wait until they are called here to be with
you in the ultimate Angelic Forum!"
God pauses as the tiny angels cheer and jump to their feet. Then they
form a line, straight as an arrow, in front of God so each can get a mission
from Him. When they all have their assignments, they wander to other clouds
as they compare notes about their missions. Some angels are to be on earth
for years; others, for only brief moments after meeting their families at
birth. Some are perfectly developed babies but with severe internal
deformities; others, perfectly developed internally but with severe external
deformities. One particular angel is upset with his mission. He is a perfect baby,
born exactly on time to a terrific family with loving support, but his
mission is to last only three months. He runs to find God and asks, "If I am to go
to earth as a perfect baby, born to a beautiful family, whey is my mission
to short? Why can't I grow up?" God slows His pace, kneels in front of the disturbed angel and gently
holds his hands as He explains, "Because, My tiny one, I love you, and I love
your family. They have been chosen to be your family, to live through this
experience will nourish them and they will continue, stronger than
before---continue by helping others who, too, have lost a child---all
because you have touched their lives. They will love you forever and
will never forget you! Now go, My little one, "God says as He pats him
gently on the head. God stood straight, smiling as He watches all His tiny angels, skipping
along the clouds, preparing for their missions. Another Angelic Forum
closes. He whispers to Himself. I Love You all!!